


Feeling for Blue

by UnderlordZ



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Interspecies Relationship(s), Other, Reader/Narrator POV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2018-12-02 12:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11509539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnderlordZ/pseuds/UnderlordZ
Summary: Blue Diamond makes one last venture to a doomed little blue world, seeking one last piece of her late sister's legacy. What she finds instead may surprise her…~~~~~~~~~~~~~First posted on reddit's r/WritingPrompts board, based on a recent personal fantasy, in turn inspired by a series of ASMR tracks on YouTube. Sporadic updates, as the story comes to me. Feedback is always appreciated.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





	1. Deep in the Woods

It was never going to be easy; the fact that she was over five stories tall was easily the first clue. The second? Her having apparently _no_ biology, nevermind a compatible one...

* * *

 We first met when I was day-hiking out in the woods by some local caves, looking for some quiet solitude. She seemed to be just wandering around, herself, enjoying nature with her attendant, a smaller specimen about my height who followed maybe ten feet behind her. The giantess wore an all-concealing cloak, dark as the night sky, yet form-fitting enough to show off her incredibly well-defined curves. I saw one of her hands slowly reach out towards a bird's nest, revealing a complexion not unlike the clear afternoon skies above the canopy of leaves. Her attendant was of a similar palette, though much less hidden, wearing what seemed to be a simple ballerina's leotard and sheer veil-skirt.

I didn't want to startle them, so I kept my distance, but managed to snap a few pics with my phone. Unfortunately, I also snapped a twig as I moved to follow; freaking Murphy's Law...

The attendant snapped to attention and turned towards me, grabbing her mistress' attention with a yank of her gown's hem. She spoke so quietly, I could barely tell she'd even said anything.

"My Diamond, it seems we're being followed."

I was frozen as the towering woman turned towards me as well, not even close to lumbering as one might expect of a being of such size as she strode my way, closing the gap between us in maybe five steps. She crouched down daintily, bringing her arms up under her cloak so as to have me to herself. Her eyes sparkled with interest, rhomboid pupils standing out against the pools of vibrant cyan that were her irises. Her hair, falling out from her hood, shimmered like strands of silver silk in the slight breeze. On her half-bared chest sat a stone, apparently embedded, so lustrous I doubt any on Earth could come close to a match.

"Well, hello, little one," she said softly. She seemed, inexplicably, to have the slightest hint of an Irish brogue; may be an alien thing...

"Uh, he-hello?" I found myself at a loss for words.

"Hm-hm," she giggled. "Hello. Might I ask, what are you doing out here, so far from your cities and your people?"

"I, uh..." I swallowed hard and loudly, barely able to calm my nerves as this alien giantess smiled at me as one might towards a curious kitten. I took a deep yet shaky breath before continuing. "I come out here, every so often, for some peace and quiet. It's nice to just...get away from it all, every now-and-then."

Her smile only seemed to grow.

"Well, if that is the case, I don't suppose you would be interested in joining Pearl and myself for a while? We were just admiring this planet's ecosystem one last time, while we still had the chance."

Her attendant, Pearl apparently, gave me a look, despite lack of any direct eye contact, that seemed to say, "This isn't something you can say 'no' to; you're joining us."

"Oh, uh, of course! That sounds lovely, er..."

I looked to Pearl, who mouthed 'My Diamond'.

"That sounds lovely, My Diamond."

My life would never be the same.

* * *

 She led silently as we walked through the woods, bringing us to a large mountain cave. As we stepped past the threshold into the dark, the gems in her and Pearl's chests seemed to switch on, emitting a soft blue light to illuminate the way.

"So..." I began slowly and quietly, speaking to Pearl, but was quickly redirected to her mistress. "Uh, if I may ask, My Diamond, what would a Gem of your stature and position be doing on Earth?"

"What do you know of Gemkind, little one?" she asked in response. Fortunately, I had always been interested in these mighty off-worlders, ancient and legendary beings of incredible power, wielding technology so advanced as to be magic, even by today's standards!

"Well...I know there was a rather large Gem presence here on Earth about six thousand years ago, but our history on the timeframe is...lacking, to say the least." I reached into my pocket to search the relevant info on the 'net. "We've got evidence of a massive, centuries-long war. Entire battlefields all across the world, a crashed saucer-ship down in South America, every so often someone will come across a bizarre beast or two with jewel-like protrusions; but everything drops off about five thousand years back. The Gems were here, they fought _something_ , and then were just...go-o-o-one!"

I'd been lifted into the air by the giantess' massive hands, fitting in her palms easily enough. She was gentle and soft, with not a single callous across her skin. She had me turned towards her in a sitting position, supporting my back with her left palm, the light from her gem dimming a bit, ostensibly making a conscious effort to not blind me.

"You seem to know the basic story, but there is _so_ much more..."

Pearl's gem light flickered and changed, projecting on the wall basic visuals to follow the story being told. I turned to face them, half-climbing over the hands that held me aloft.

"Long ago, by your standards, my people came to this planet to establish a colony. The Prime Kindergarten was producing new Amethysts by the hundreds, and the Beta facility was in its early stages. We were nearly ready to begin the terraforming process, but..." She started to tear up, enormous globules falling from her eyes and splashing to the ground like bucketfuls. "The war you spoke of, it was very real. It claimed scores of Gems at a time, but nearly all could be easily replaced. Nearly all.

"The war we fought was against a rebel cell here on Earth, led by a militant Rose Quartz. We held our lines as best we could, but her Crystal Gems were too resilient. We were forced into strategic retreat, after they...they..." She shut her eyes in despair and turned her head, clutching her mouth with her left hand. Pearl's projection changed to a simple pink rhombus, cracks emanating from its center, shattering it to pieces as they reached the shape's edge. I could feel pangs of sympathy in my own chest. I wrapped my arms around two of the colossal digits to my side, doing my best to offer a hug of condolence.

The rebels _shattered_ her sister; death is hard enough for those like us who have come to know and expect it. For a being of immeasurable age and near-indestructible physiology? Such a thing must be close to inconceivable.

"I'm...I'm so sorry. I know losing a loved one is never easy." She seemed touched by this, turning back to me with fresh tears on her face. I moved to try to dry her eyes, but only succeeded in drenching my entire hand all at once. She apparently found this amusing, another smile half-forming as she brought me right up to her gem. The glow still emitting from the stone was warm, enveloping me almost entirely as her left hand wrapped back around me in a gentle embrace.

"You are only the second human I have ever heard say such a thing. Perhaps you should be saved, as well."

Wait, saved? What was it she'd said earlier, about being here 'one last time, while she still had the chance'?

"Pearl, go back to the ship and set a course for The Zoo. We have another new specimen for the collection."

Pearl heeded her mistress' command with a bow, but I had to disagree!

"Wait, what?! A zoo? My-my Diamond, what are you talking about?!"

"In preparation for the Earth's transformation, Pink Diamond was concerned for the wellbeing of the native life; when she made this known to me, I commissioned the creation of a conservatory, specifically for the humans she wanted to save. She loved your people so much, and I now see why. You truly are a fascinating species, if primitive by Gem standards. With Pink gone, I was given command over the facility and nearly all her remaining Gems from this planet. You will be the final new specimen, seeing as the Earth will not be here much longer."

Finally she removed her hand from over me, but we were already too far gone for it to matter. We were back outside, nowhere I recognized, with a tremendous blue arm, evidently the ship she'd told Pearl to prepare for launch, floating ominously overhead. A platform descended from the palm of the ship's hand, a chair big enough to seat its owner, with a closed cage forming around us as she took her place; a palanquin fit for a Diamond. We lifted into the air, my last views of the Earth being an unknown somewhere out in the wilderness.


	2. Arrival

This was it. Everything I'd ever known, laid out below, a blue-and-green ball floating in a white-specked black void. Now it's all behind me, no going back. I suppose I should be more frightened, but…I don't really know how to feel right now. Sure, there's the fear that inevitably comes with being kidnapped, particularly by someone a good seven or eight, hell, probably _ten times_ your own size; maybe this is how an animal feels when a human picks it up off the street. There's a hint of sadness; never going to be seeing my friends or family again. Some general anxiety over how quickly this is all going on...

* * *

Turns out I'd fainted. That's a first, I don't think I've ever done that before.

I opened my eyes slowly, squeezing them shut again as I rose into a sitting position with a groan, Pearl sitting guard next to me. The room was nice, with more gentle cyan lighting, though sparsely decorated. Seems someone had found me a bed, with sheets and everything, which I do find strange; nothing from any research I've read ever indicated that Gems needed sleep, though some historians postulate that they may have done so recreationally, so if that much is true a bed would make sense.

"Hello again, human," Pearl whispered, breaking me out of my thoughts. "I do hope you're not injured. Our Diamond was worried when you didn't respond after bringing you on board her ship." I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, groaning a bit more as I stretched.

"Yeah, sorry, something about being  _abducted by aliens_ must've been a bit much for me." That came out a little harsher than I'd intended, though if Pearl noticed, she didn't react.

"I do apologize, but we are on a bit of a tight schedule. If you'll come with me," she instructed, rising from her seat and making for the auto-open door, "we can get you prepared to join the other humans in your new home."

That damn Zoo again. Nope, not having that.

"Uh, how about 'no'?" Again, maybe a little harsh, considering Pearl has been nothing but polite, but this is a point that needs to be made. I threw the sheets off and got up with Pearl, anyway, but I had no intention of going through some processing…process! "I don't know how things are done on...whatever planet Gems are from, but on Earth, sentient beings don't get locked up in zoos and put on display for entertainment! Forget wherever you were told to take me; I  _demand_ to speak with Blue Diamond,  _now._ "

"You're in no position to be making demands, meat-sack," came a gravelly new voice. I turned a quick one-eighty and quickly replaced anger with fear as my active emotion. Evidently I'd been assigned a room guard, or maybe Pearl had, since Blue Diamond was off somewhere else; but regardless of why she was here, this new Gem's one line had been right on the money. She was a good eight feet high, built like a brick wall, and overall tinted a dark lavender with a bright purple gem in place of her left eye. If I had to guess, I'd say an Amethyst. "Processing, like the Pearl said," she smirked, "unless you think you can fight your way past ten of me to  _get_ to Blue Diamond?"

As she cracked her knuckles, I considered myself lucky to not have a full bladder right then, as I turned again to follow Pearl.

* * *

Apparently by fainting, I'd slept through the entire flight in the giant blue arm-ship, and we were actually at The Zoo already; _yay_. The halls were spacious, though certainly not tall enough for a Gem of Blue Diamond's stature. I also remembered reading that Gems could willingly change shape whenever they wanted, so maybe that includes overall size, too? I couldn't imagine Blue Diamond shrinking down to just twelve or so feet, though, so maybe there's another wing to this place scaled a little bigger for her?

Pearl and I passed another few Amethysts on our way, and they seemed friendly enough, or at least apathetic. We were stopped once by a pair of them, apparently curious as to why a human was being escorted through the main halls by a Pearl. Pearl explained that while my circumstances of arrival weren't standard, I was to be processed as usual, and the guards insisted that they accompany us. One of them, fuschia-tinged with her gem on the back of her right hand, actually struck up a conversation.

"So, another one, huh?" she asked, seemingly towards nobody in particular. "BD sure has been on a binge lately."

"Think we'll be getting any more after this?" asked her partner, a slightly more red-toned Amethyst with a chipped tooth barely visible in her mouth with her head turned. "Pearl?"

"Hm? Oh! Um, n-no, not likely," Pearl answered, quiet as ever. She didn't seem to be used to answering questions, but these Amethysts don't seem like the type to go along with protocol, if I had to guess based just on what I've seen. "Blue Diamond has made it very clear that she will not be making any more trips back to Earth."

So that's it, then; I can never go back. This is where I'll live out the rest of my life, as some commodity to be gawked at by the occasional visitor, if that.

"Heh, yeah, heard that one before!" laughed the right-hand-gemmed guard. "Isn't that what she said when she brought that chunky, hairy one in?"

"Yeah," answered her chip-toothed partner, "and then I heard from Holly that she was gonna send an Aquamarine to get another half-dozen!" They both chuckled at this, almost as if Blue Diamond was some kind of crazy cat lady, but for humans. "Hey, you alright, little fella?" Wait, was she…concerned? For me?

"Wah? Well, I, uh…buh…" Oh, please don't faint again,  _please don't faint again..._

"Hey, it's alright," the paler of the two seemed to be trying to calm me, stroking my hair a bit with her fingertips. "You're gonna be fine, promise. We take good care of you guys here, you'll see."

We stopped. A panel in one of the walls slid upward, revealing only a dark tunnel. The burgundy Amethyst laced her fingers and cupped her hands, apparently expecting me to climb up and jump in.

"Go on, you'll be okay. We'll see you on the other side, promise."

I tentatively moved my feet, using her hands as a step as I entered the darkness once more.

* * *

I quickly found myself on a conveyer belt of sorts, now lit in a soft violet-pink. Soon I was surrounded by a couple handfuls of tiny floating cylindrical probes, getting a basic physical exam. Throat, ears, eyes, nose, temperature; full-body scan, probably diagnostic. A quick flash of light, with my mugshot displayed on screen afterwards; probably for a database. A cough-inducing cloud of dust, which if I had to guess was probably some kind of disinfectant. After literally being stamped into a new outfit consisting of a white loincloth and blue vest, I found I'd hit a wall. Literally; the conveyer belt had ended. Another panel closed behind me, and the ceiling opened up, quickly flooding the tiny chamber. I held whatever breath I could as I was flushed through the system, only to find myself in a tropical-looking lagoon when I was finally able to breathe and see again.

I made my way to shore, not the slightest trace of water dragging down my new ensemble. Some kind of hydrophobic fabric, I guess; must make for easier cleaning. There were palm trees all around me, not at all matching the lower foliage, which upon closer inspection seemed almost to be made of plush, like a pillow or a stuffed animal. The grass wasn't even plastic astroturf, but something even softer, almost like velvet; an entire landscape, patched together like an enormous quilt! As I scratched at my head in mild confusion, I heard faint sounds of laughter through the trees. After a few minutes of meandering my way through my new habitat, I spotted what seemed to be…people! Actual human people, all dressed just like me, jumping and playing, just generally and genuinely enjoying their life in what essentially amounted to a gilded cage. Another few Amethysts seemed to be supervising; one of them had a handful of younger children climbing all over, while another with sharp-looking teeth played chase with a few more.

"Hello!" called one of the older humans, with an ostensibly-dissonant youthful exuberance in his voice and green eyes. His black hair stood up in bizarrely-round shapes, almost like a disturbingly-dark cloud sitting on his tan-complexioned head. He called back to one of the others, "Jay-Ten! Another new friend has arrived!" A slightly-paler blonde woman soon made her way over, adorably-pudgy limbs jiggling just a bit as she jogged.

"Hold up!" called out a familiar voice. Looking past the two alien-humans, I saw the paler Amethyst from the halls. She walked briskly, getting to us before J-10 could even get a word in. "Sorry, Wy-Six, but this one isn't staying just yet. You and Jay-Ten get back to the others."

"Oh. Uh, okay. Good-bye!," he responded, seemingly not-at-all phased by this news. Y-6 and J-10; alphanumeric designations in place of actual names. Suppose it makes sense, in an alien sort of way.

"Heh, they're cute," the Amethyst mused. "Come on, newbie; you said you wanted to talk to Blue Diamond, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I didn't spend much time in the habitat, but that's just not where this story is happening right now. As for why the Amethysts seem so casual, I've decided to set this in-continuity with the events of "Holly Blue Agate is Desperate, Pass It On". http://archiveofourown.org/works/9581048, so Holly's gonna be a bit more chill-ish, too, if she shows up.
> 
> Also, yes, I'm deliberately keeping the narrator's gender ambiguous for as long as I can.


	3. Walkways and Talkways

My escorts were as casual as they'd been just a half-hour or so prior, trying to keep the atmosphere in the corridor calm. What a sight I must be, a measly little Earth-human getting led around by a couple of big burly Quartz guards. Admittedly, most of this I could probably chalk up to my usual anxiety; gotta remember to keep a level head. Deep breath, in…and out…

"You sure you're okay?" The darker Amethyst seemed especially concerned for my well-being. "We can stop for a minute, if this is still a bit much for you." She motioned to her partner towards a window, both taking a seat on the floor, legs crossed.

"Yeah, come on," the paler Gem motioned to me to sit on her lap. "You look like you've got something on your mind. Can't have you freaking out in front of Blue Diamond, so let's see if we can get it out now!"

Hesitantly, I accepted her offer of a lap-cushion. She started petting my hair again, which was surprisingly calming. I actually started leaning into her chest, which she made no motion to stop, so it must not have been too big a deal for her. Another deep breath…

"We, uh…" the darker one started again, "we get it, kinda; you're new here, from a different kind of Earth than we probably remember. We actually had another couple modern humans just a few months ago! That hairy one we mentioned earlier? He was one of 'em!"

"And there was a little short one, too!" the backhanded Gem continued. "They even ended up being related! I know it's kind of a big planet, but you think you might've known 'em?"

"What? No, I--" Wait, what? Something she just said _definitely_ got my attention! "Hold on, you said 'remembered', as in you _remember_ Earth? You've been there?!"

"Actually," the darker Amethyst clarified with a grin, showing off her chipped tooth, "we're _from_ there! Facet 5 would be in…what'd 8XM call it? North Ame-something?" she asked her partner.

"North _America,"_ the other corrected.

"Wait, you guys _all_ come from Earth? You've _gotta_ have a way back, right?!" Okay, maybe dial it back a bit, starting to sound _super_ desperate; but still, maybe--

"Sorry, official story's that the whole place is gonna pop soon."

"Yellow Diamond's got some super-secret big military project that's gonna…well, crack the whole joint wide-open."

They sounded less-than-excited, though being from Earth myself, I definitely understand why. The entire planet, millions of years of history, billions of people, _trillions_ of lifeforms, just _gone_. Damn, if that's not a sobering thought…

"Sorry to bring you down like that, squishy," the chipped-toothed Amethyst seemed to regret informing me almost immediately. "But hey, _you're_ safe! That's something, right?"

"Chip, come on," her partner chastised. "You know how hard it was when _we_ found out; what about this one? Probably still got family back there…"

So on top of nicknaming me Squishy, they've now taken to talking about me as if I'm not even here; great, just great. Oh, and let's not forget that _the Earth is soon to be destroyed!_ So even if I could go back, it wouldn't even matter. This day just keeps getting better and better…

No, come on, level head! _Use_ this! Get to Blue Diamond, try to save some kind of face with her!

"No, I'm-- I'm fine, really," I lied. Better get used to having to do that. "I'm okay now; can we just get to wherever Blue Diamond is?"

My guards conversed with just their eyes and a shrug, letting me up before standing themselves.

* * *

 "Well, here we are!" Chip faked a smile as she motioned to the otherwise-nondescript door. Her partner, Rosie, tapped the touchscreen to the frame's left a few times, opening the gateway to what was easily the single most gargantuan room I'd ever seen. Ceilings easily a hundred feet high; pleated pillars in the style of ancient Greece (though I guess they probably got the idea from Gemkind); and countless glowing pink bubbles of some sort, with still more fist-sized gems floating within each of them, just suspended in midair all throughout the chamber! I stood in awe, my mouth hanging open, until I heard a new voice. This one seemed harsher, with a slight crack to it every few words, as if she was…nervous? Blue Diamond knelt on an enormous pillow of to the right side from where I'd just come in, looking down sternly at this apparently-nervous Gem.

"…but, of course, I could _never_ allow such a thing to happen! I _swiftly_ \-- Er, My Diamond, we seem to have some…company!"

I looked down, as I'd apparently entered on an elevated portion of the room meant for smaller beings. This new Gem was _maybe_ slightly taller than the Amethysts, and while the pink lighting made it difficult to tell, her color palette was similar enough to Blue Diamond that I was inclined to believe her to be blue, as well. Her hair stood in a bizarre pair of rounded cones atop her head, with her shoulders covered by a small shawl clasped at her neck. I couldn't see a gem on her anywhere, though that probably just meant it was on her back somewhere.

"Little One!" Blue Diamond seemed to perk right up as she saw me, scooping me up in her hands once again and holding me close to her gem. "I was so worried when you fell unconscious on my ship! Are you alright?"

"Uh, a bit disoriented, but physically fine, My Diamond!" I inhaled deeply as she moved me away from her chest, letting me go next to the nervous-yet-authoritative, new-to-me Gem.

"Oh, that's _wonderful_ to hear! Holly Blue Agate," she addressed the other Gem beside me, "I thank you for your reports and your continued service, but now I would like to speak with this human privately."

"Oh, er…of _course,_ My Diamond!" She saluted with hands crossed in front of her, in a way that looked like it'd hurt if I tried it, slowly backing away towards a much taller door behind her. "As always, it has been absolutely _wonderful_ to see you, and I do hope, as always, that you can find some time in your _very busy_ schedule to--"

Blue Diamond gave her a look, the kind of look your boss _always_ gives you when they want you to just shut up and stop being such an ass-kisser. I've gotten that look before, too, lady; take the hint…

"Uh, farewell, My Diamond!" She smiled nervously as the doors slid shut.

Okay, this is it. Your last chance to get out of living in a zoo for the rest of your life. Don't screw it up!


	4. The Proposition

"I hear you've _demanded_ an audience with me."

And of course, my earlier panic-induced anger had come back to bite me in the ass. Every muscle in my body seemed to constrict all at once as Blue Diamond spoke, her previously-dulcet lilt taking on an edge of the slightest fury.

"For future reference, my Pearl acts as my official envoy in the event of my absence; to disrespect her is to disrespect me. _Is that clear_ , little one?"

_Crap, crap, crap, she's expecting an answer; don't get tongue-tied now..._

"Y-yes, My Diamond," I stammered, making an attempt to imitate Holly Blue Agate's salute as I bowed. "P-please, forgive me; it won't happen again, I promise!"

"Excellent." She sounded placated…for now, at least. "Now, what was it, exactly, you wished to speak to me about?"

"Well...you see, My Diamond…" I really wish I'd had more time to think this through; never was good at improvising, but I guess that's another habit/skill I'll have to pick up. "Hmm…I…was hoping, actually, that maybe I could convince you to…change your mind?"

She looked confused, which wasn't at all surprising, since I'd only realized after I'd said it that I'd given absolutely no context to my request.

"About me, staying here?"

"What?" She chuckled a bit, incredulously. "Why would you not want to stay here? It's a paradise for your people; a sanctuary safely tucked away from the chaos of the universe at large, where all your needs are met; an oasis in the sea of stars! You will never have any need to worry about anything, ever again. Why would you _not_ want that?"

"It's not…" I hesitated, despair beginning to take hold deep down. Deep breath, in…and out… Maybe some light pacing will help, too; a few steps left, about face, a few right… "It's not that I don't _want_ such luxuries, My Diamond, far from it. In the end, I suppose that all _anyone_ on Earth wants is to be able to stop worrying about everything and just be cared for; it's just…"

But what _did_ I want? I knew what I _didn't_ want, and that was to be here for the rest of my life; here, in a facsimile of Earth as it was millennia ago, with nobody I knew, nothing I understood, and no kind of mental stimulation to keep me from losing my mind!

"Just…what?" Blue Diamond asked.

"We…have a saying, back on Earth: the greatest regret of my generation is that we were born too late to explore our world, but too early to explore the universe." Please, please, _please_ work! "This…is an unprecedented opportunity, My Diamond. I would consider it an honor-- a _privilege,_ even, if you would allow me…to join you, by your side, as you travel the cosmos."

If confusing others were a competition, I'd be today's champion, based on Blue Diamond's face as the words left my mouth. I hadn't been anywhere near this nerve-racked in years, and that was a presentation back in high school! Oh, if only life could have stayed so relatively simple, but no! I _had_ to talk the giant, beautiful, blue space-lady, and end up getting carted off _across the galaxy!_

Then, perhaps worse, she started to _laugh_. A sweet, gentle sound, but bruising to my ego all the same. Until, that is, I noticed her tears. New tears, different from back on Earth. There was no sadness here, but elation; pure, unadulterated joy and good-natured mirth. Had she seen through my desperation? Was she just pulling my leg all this time?

"My…My Diamond?"

"Aha-ha-ha! Oh, my little one, is that all you wanted? To see the stars with your own eyes? To find a new place in the universe?" She made it sound so simple. She reached down to lift my chin gently, her fingertips cool to the touch. "Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

"You mean…you'll have me?"

"Oh, of course!" she answered, lifting an enormous weight from my shoulders…and me from the floor, yet again. She seemed very…grabby, but was at least gentle about it. "To have a piece of Pink Diamond's world by my side; oh, it would make me so happy. I would _love_ to have you, little one."

"…Skye."

"I'm sorry?"

"My name-- my name is Skye, and I…I cannot _begin_ to thank you enough, My Diamond. This truly does mean the world to me, too. I'm forever in your debt," I carefully took a knee; genuflect, I think, is the word for that. Good word, nice and fancy, something else to keep in mind, "and hereby pledge my life and loyalty to you, Blue Diamond, as whatever you may wish to make of me."

"Hm-hm-hm," she giggled again, as she had back in the cave. "Well, we can work out the details in a bit, dear. For now…Pearl!"

"Yes, My Diamond?" Pearl had been so quiet and still over on the other dais, I hadn't even noticed her before now. Frankly, that's more than a bit concerning, but yet again, something else I suppose I'll just have to get used to.

"Take Skye with you," Blue Diamond ordered as she lifted Pearl in her other hand and set us both down by the door where I'd come in, "and gather a few more Gems along your way; we're going for a bath."

Wait, what?

* * *

In total, eight more Gems would be joining us: five Amethysts, and three red-striped orange Gems that I hadn't met yet, but would quickly learn were Jaspers.

"Oh man, a bath _with Blue Diamond?!_ " One of the latter sounded both anxious and elated, rolling her bright crimson left arm in anticipation. "This is gonna be _so amazing!_ " The lead Amethyst, with a rather large curl of hair framing the right side of her face, seemed determined to reel her in.

"Easy, Bee; gotta keep professional, remember? This isn't like when we're playing with the humans." I suddenly realized why this one seemed familiar: she was in the habitat earlier when I first arrived, the one covered in children! "This is _Our Diamond_ we're talking about," she continued facetiously. "She's going to expect certain forms of respect; you'll need to do _what_ she says, _when_ she says," she leaned in close to the Jasp-- er, to Bee, and half-whispered, "and as tempting as it may be, try not to get too _frisky_." She elbowed the Jasper's arm lightly; was she talking about--

"Before you all begin attending to Our Diamond," Pearl spoke up, quiet as ever, yet somehow loud enough for everyone present to hear, "you'll be required to attend to yourselves. Please make your way to the showers." She turned to me specifically as the Gems all filed past. "That includes you, Skye."

So that's how I found myself surrounded by eight massive, muscular, _naked_ technicolor humanoid aliens. Two of the Jaspers and three Amethysts were lathering each other up, while the last one and two respectively kept to themselves. I found an unoccupied tap just to the left of the entryway, and managed to get some hot water flowing.

"You're never gonna get clean like that." The curly-haired Amethyst snuck up behind me. "Come on, uniform's gotta go."

I tried to resist, I really did, but when you're up against a purple alien Amazon, your options are minimal. To my pleasant surprise, however, she was incredibly gentle. I guess not _too_ much of a surprise, though, considering how good she seemed to be with the children back in the habitat. Despite her fingers being almost twice the size of my own, she removed the blue vest and white loincloth with grace and finesse. The warm water was soothing as it rolled across my skin, and having this Amethyst work the shampoo and soap was almost like a massage!

"So, I hear your name's Skye?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, yup, tha-- that's me." Why was I getting so flustered in front of this Gem? I'd felt so confident earlier in front of _Blue freaking Diamond_ ; maybe it's because I wasn't naked then? Crap, I'm gonna be in front of her naked soon. Oh, shit, she'll probably be naked, too!

"I'm Amethyst 5-8XJ, but just Jay is fine, if you like. Feels like you're holding some tension in your back, here; we'll have Chip look you over later, she's _really_ good at back rubs. Alright, rest of the team's looking ready. We're gonna head out and greet Blue Diamond; you rinse off and we'll see ya out there!"


End file.
